CleanArc VA1 Data Center Campus, Ruther Glen, Virginia

CleanArc Data Centers is building its VA1 data center campus in Caroline County, Virginia, on the site of the former Virginia Bazaar flea market east of Interstate 95 at Exit 110 near Ruther Glen. The company broke ground in November 2025 on a 900 megawatt campus; the first 300 megawatts are due online in early 2027, a second 300 in 2030 and a third between 2033 and 2035. Gov. Glenn Youngkin called the $3 billion initial investment "the largest announced economic investment in the history of Caroline County."

The 650-acre site will hold three data center buildings of 490,000 square feet each, with space leased to large cloud computing tenants. The land was zoned Industrial, so CleanArc did not need a special public rezoning vote; it built by right, meaning the use was already allowed under the existing zoning. The county later required new industrial projects to get a special exception permit, extra approval beyond zoning, but said CleanArc had already filed plans before that change.

What the Board of Supervisors did vote on, in August 2025, was a performance agreement, under which the county pays back CleanArc and its tenants a share of the new tax revenue each year for 15 years. The Virginia Mercury reported the payback at 25% of the increased tax revenue, an estimated $13 million a year, equal to about 17% of the county's general fund budget. Bowling Green District Supervisor Jeff Sili cast the only vote against it.

Water has been the main worry in a county where many homes rely on wells. The county will not supply drinking water for cooling, only for flushing and washing, and CleanArc said the water for cooling would be brought in and then recirculated. Then-chair Nancy Long said the county's rules include setbacks, noise limits, screening and a ban on using drinking water for industrial cooling.

The three approved buildings need no further rezoning vote. Two more buildings planned for adjacent land would need the Board of Supervisors' approval; the next milestone is the first 300 megawatts of power, due online in early 2027.